Can your cell phone fly? It's a timely and controversial
question, according to Terry Wiseman, publisher of the in-flight
entertainment newsletter Airfax.

By the end of this year, at least three airlines-Air Canada,
Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines-will offer on-board Internet
connections. And soon after that, airlines could begin testing
systems that would allow you to use wireless devices while the
aircraft is in flight.

The possibility that electronic interference may affect an
aircraft's navigational system remains a major concern in the
airline industry and a roadblock to widespread freedom to use cell
phones. Until airlines resolve the issue, business travelers will
have to be content to check e-mail from their laptop computers or
from one of the in-flight entertainment systems.

"It's spooky territory," says Wiseman.
"Everyone is working hard to make sure nothing happens [to
compromise safety] when these systems are installed."

Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland.
Contact him at www.elliott.org.